Well, the last month and a half have been a whirlwind of activity and development. We found a new house here in Toronto after a fairly in-depth search. Daigoro and Kenshin were very patient as we trucked them around from house to house. Daigoro would often ask if there were "guys" (kids) or toys in each house as we went in, as one of the earlier houses we toured had toys on display in one room.
We're happy with our find, which should give us a lot more elbow room in the long term. It's close to schools, parks and shops, as well as being not too far from where we are currently, so many of the social contacts we've already made in the area won't have to be dropped. I'm also pleased that it's actually closer to our current United Church, so we'll be able to stay on with the congregation there without a long commute each Sunday. The commute will be shorter for Marli and only a few minutes longer by bike (and shorter by transit) for me, so it's a great find.
Based on the way we're bursting at the seams in our little two-bedroom apartment currently, moving day couldn't come a day sooner.
Kenshin is more mobile in his cruising and occasionally stands without support, though still nowhere near as rapidly as Daigoro seemed to progress. In the past two weeks, he's been increasingly hyperactive (in the non-clinical sense) which has been a little bit of a strain for Marli and me. Some of his increased awake time and night-time feeding may be due to yet another pair of teeth coming in, the first of which poked through his gum this morning. Kenshin's current favourite toy is a Curious George jack-in-the-box which he received as a gift from his aunt this past Christmas; it absolutely entrances him when it plays. He generally shows a markedly higher interest in music and rhythm than Daigoro ever did; Daigoro is not uninterested in music, but it's not his first love.
Daigoro swings between being a really resilient and well-behaved kid to a whiny little so-and-so, with the decent majority of it being good rather than bad. I suppose that's entirely normal for a kid his age, but I can see how some parents start to lose their cool about now. I have a comparatively short fuse when it comes to whiny-ness, whether it be children or adults. I tend to think I'm a fairly patient guy otherwise, so it's difficult for me to find myself blowing my top at times. His hand-eye coordination development continues to impress me, just last week he drew a pretty credible version of a whale which had a striking (but coincidental, in my opinion) resemblance to West Coast aboriginal art depictions of whales. I'm pleased that he's showing an interest in art.
Starting last Tuesday (February 19th), he's been running a streak where he hasn't pooped in his diapers while he was awake. He's been quite motivated by the reward of being able to wear special "Cars"-themed pull-up diapers if he tells us that he has to go potty in time (and subsequently goes). Seems the reward/carrot motivator has trumped basic training methods this time.
We're continuing our now three month tradition of going to my parents' house on Thursday and swimming at a local community centre for about forty-five minutes to an hour. Both kids seem to enjoy it a lot (so long as the wading pool is warm) and Daigoro in particular has advanced a long way towards being more confident in the water.
More to follow... I've just run out of steam on this entry for now.
Showing posts with label standing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label standing. Show all posts
Monday, February 25, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
It Begins...
Well, Kenshin decided to try to stand unsupported the day before yesterday (Thursday, January 10th). I imagine he'll be trying to walk in the next month to two months.
Fortunately by this point, he's already been cruising and pulling himself up for a while now, so most dangerous things at the 45cm - 90cm range have already been found and made safe. (lower lying threats already been found and removed) There's an interesting period as the baby grows where the bubble (Venn diagram) of dangerous interaction expands and contracts.
For example, when a baby is newborn, it can't really move or roll over, so aside from compensating for gravity or accidental turnovers, you can basically leave them on any (non-spiky, non-flamey, etc) flat surface. Not that we did, but in a pinch you could, if you needed to. When the baby learns to roll-over, the danger bubble expands to include rolling off said flat surface. When baby learns to sit up, there is initially a mild danger to placing baby on a hardwood floor or similar surface for fear of baby toppling and bonking its head on an unyielding substance, but eventually the chances of topplage are very low and that danger contracts. Around the same time, however, the babe figures out how to drag things down from higher levels, and you have to worry about tablecloths, extension cords, pots of boiling water and the like.
When crawling begins, you of course have things like edges and stairways to worry about, but also the objects you might have previously left on the floor thinking they were not likely to be interacted with. Similarly, even stationary objects (like hot water radiators) that you don't place them anywhere near suddenly enter into play.
When cruising starts, objects on low surfaces (sofa tops, coffee tables, etc) become fair game for baby. Now, with unsupported standing and walking on the horizon... well, the sky's the limit.
One who has been reading this blog up to this point will probably have figured out that although we take reasonable precautions against childhood trauma, I'm not a parent who is paranoid about safety and injury. I know of and have heard of parents who take what I feel are such restrictive precautions so as not to place their child in any chance of danger at all - they don't let the child climb in the playground, all toys are super-safe, foods are finely minced... etc. etc... I suppose my position is that, like so many other aspects of life, you have to find the right balance.
It's during these periods of transition, however, that you do have to be more vigilant than usual. Things that have since become almost zero-level threats for Daigoro (like choking hazards or electrical outlets) became dangerous again as Kenshin reached an age where he could interact with them again.
In other news, I had a great time with Daigoro on Thursday swimming at a indoor public pool near my parents' house; he seemed to have terrific fun. A stand-out happier memory for me in what has generally been a happy childhood thus far.
Fortunately by this point, he's already been cruising and pulling himself up for a while now, so most dangerous things at the 45cm - 90cm range have already been found and made safe. (lower lying threats already been found and removed) There's an interesting period as the baby grows where the bubble (Venn diagram) of dangerous interaction expands and contracts.
For example, when a baby is newborn, it can't really move or roll over, so aside from compensating for gravity or accidental turnovers, you can basically leave them on any (non-spiky, non-flamey, etc) flat surface. Not that we did, but in a pinch you could, if you needed to. When the baby learns to roll-over, the danger bubble expands to include rolling off said flat surface. When baby learns to sit up, there is initially a mild danger to placing baby on a hardwood floor or similar surface for fear of baby toppling and bonking its head on an unyielding substance, but eventually the chances of topplage are very low and that danger contracts. Around the same time, however, the babe figures out how to drag things down from higher levels, and you have to worry about tablecloths, extension cords, pots of boiling water and the like.
When crawling begins, you of course have things like edges and stairways to worry about, but also the objects you might have previously left on the floor thinking they were not likely to be interacted with. Similarly, even stationary objects (like hot water radiators) that you don't place them anywhere near suddenly enter into play.
When cruising starts, objects on low surfaces (sofa tops, coffee tables, etc) become fair game for baby. Now, with unsupported standing and walking on the horizon... well, the sky's the limit.
One who has been reading this blog up to this point will probably have figured out that although we take reasonable precautions against childhood trauma, I'm not a parent who is paranoid about safety and injury. I know of and have heard of parents who take what I feel are such restrictive precautions so as not to place their child in any chance of danger at all - they don't let the child climb in the playground, all toys are super-safe, foods are finely minced... etc. etc... I suppose my position is that, like so many other aspects of life, you have to find the right balance.
It's during these periods of transition, however, that you do have to be more vigilant than usual. Things that have since become almost zero-level threats for Daigoro (like choking hazards or electrical outlets) became dangerous again as Kenshin reached an age where he could interact with them again.
In other news, I had a great time with Daigoro on Thursday swimming at a indoor public pool near my parents' house; he seemed to have terrific fun. A stand-out happier memory for me in what has generally been a happy childhood thus far.
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